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Press conference | Every word: Andoni Iraola on injuries, Arsenal analysis, reaching 'another level' and more
Read every word from Andoni Iraola’s press conference ahead of Liverpool v Arsenal.
The Reds’ head coach spoke with the media at the AXA Training Centre on Friday afternoon.
Among plenty of topics of discussion, Iraola provided an update on the fitness of Victor Munoz and Dominik Szoboszlai, analysed the threat Arsenal will pose and discussed his desire for Liverpool to reach ‘another level’ as they seek to build on a run of five consecutive wins.
See everything the boss said before Sunday’s 4.30pm GMT kick-off at Anfield below.
On whether Munoz and Szoboszlai ‘have a chance’ of being available for Sunday…
I think they have a chance. They have a chance. But I don’t know for sure if they will be involved or not. We still have two days so I think we have a chance, yes.
On how much this game will tell him about the level of his team and the possibility of moving to within two points of Arsenal in the table…
I think it’s too early to start looking at the standings. I think it’s about preparing ourselves for a very difficult game. We know Arsenal, we know how good they are, very good players, working a lot, working in synchrony, knowing each other very well and we have to be ready for that challenge. I think it’s going to be demanding, the game, but I also trust our players, trust ourselves and in a good atmosphere that for sure we will have on Sunday, I hope we can be at the level to win this game.
On whether Liverpool are ‘Arsenal’s biggest challengers’ for the title and coming up against his childhood friend Mikel Arteta…
I think, like I said before, it’s still October, so it’s take one game at a time. I always say the first reference, more or less, normally is when we play against each other once, so halfway through the season, and then you can start thinking and understanding this stuff. But right now we are in a position where we need to improve, we need keep getting better.
And the second question about Mikel: Last week we were against Inigo [Perez], against Xabi [Alonso], now it’s going to be against Mikel, so a lot of friends on the opposition bench! I think it’s a good thing in terms of spending at least five, 10 minutes after the games normally with them. But I know that he will give us a very difficult game so we will have to be at our very best.
On whether Reds supporters should ‘go one game at a time or should they start dreaming?’…
No, the fans, it’s good if they have expectations or if they think we can win and normally it’s a good thing. But if you ask me I think it’s still very early in the season.
On winning three of his last four games against Arsenal while in charge of AFC Bournemouth and what the key is to beating them…
It’s true that we had good results with Bournemouth against them, but this doesn’t mean a lot, honestly. It’s a totally different team, different group of players, different moments so I think we cannot use exactly the same things we used with Bournemouth against Arsenal. I think that we have to use different tools, use our players as good as we can and trust them. At the end it’s going to be a matter of winning the duels, running more than them, winning the aerial duels, winning the set-play mini-games, these things that you have to control against us and all this.
On whether Arsenal are ‘still the team to beat’ this season…
I think they are the actual champions and they are top of the league right now, they’ve only lost one game this season. So, they are in a good place and definitely it’s going to be a good challenge for us on Sunday.
On whether he feels the players have become used to what he wants from them on the back of five wins in a row...
I think winning helps a lot, obviously, but it’s true from the five wins, just two are in the league. So, if we are talking about the league, we still need more wins to recover points. Definitely we know we are not where we want [to be] in terms of needing to improve a lot of things, but if you can do this process while you are getting results, it’s always nicer and better, I think.
On whether he feels ‘the energy coming back’ to Anfield...
I think it’s not just winning. I think, especially at Anfield, everyone feels when the team goes for it. When everyone is giving everything, when everyone is trying his best, our supporters will be there to help the team. Even when we first started losing in some of the last games, I think they’ve been there and they’ve helped us massively. The other day against Chelsea, I think the atmosphere was really, really good. It’s nice to recover, to feel these things at home because we have a big advantage, with respect to other teams. I think this atmosphere that we can create is special.
On the expectation that comes with being Liverpool boss and the team not being ‘the underdog’ going into games...
I knew since the first day I stepped into this building, I knew this was going to happen – it doesn’t matter the position, it doesn’t matter the competition. We accept this. It is always a good thing also in the people expecting a lot of things from your team. It doesn’t change a lot the approach of the game; at the end it’s a matter of how can we have more chances than the opposition, more chances the Arsenal. We know they are very good defensively. I think also defensively we are in a good place. So, every situation we can create, every chance you can get, is very valuable and after what happens in the boxes will be decisive.
On Ryan Gravenberch’s performance in midweek and his ‘progress and development this season’…
I think, as you said, he has had better games this season, worse games. Lately he is playing a lot of minutes and has played also very good games recently. We trust him. We know what he can produce and like with other players, when they don’t play well, I try to help to improve the things I think he can improve. And when he is in a good place, try to keep him there. It’s the same with Ryan.
On how he is managing playing games every midweek and that affecting time on the training pitch…
It’s true that I didn’t have a lot of experience [of that], I had some coaching in the Europa League. But I’ve had a lot as a player, I played a lot in Europe as a player. So, a lot of the stadiums we visit, I’ve already been there. I’ve already been in the [situation] when you arrive at three o’clock in the morning. It’s different to manage it. You have to do a lot of the job with the analysts, in the video room, with the board – without spending the legs. But I think our players are very used to it, so a lot of the work is done and now it’s more a matter of getting the decisions right in terms of the loading, freshening the legs. We are changing a lot from game to game and I think we will continue this approach, because I think it’s going well.
On whether ‘there is another level to come’…
There has to be. There always has to be another level. We need to improve things, yes. Lately we are getting good results but we need to improve in different areas, we know this.
